Reflections on Other Projects: Cassette and 3D Modeling

 Reflecting on my Dropped Projects: Why I did it and What I learnt by doing it

Cassette

While I made steady progress on Melodies of the Grove (MOTG), I also want to reflect on my involvement with Cassette and my 3D modelling project.

I was initially excited about Cassette, the project seemed fun and interesting, and I looked forward to contributing pixel art for the credits sequence. At first, I enjoyed imagining how the characters could be translated into a pixel style for the film’s ending. However, as the semester progressed, I found it increasingly difficult to stay motivated, and eventually I made the difficult decision to step away from the project. This was disappointing because the task itself wasn’t particularly challenging, but my personal drive wasn’t there.

I started really strong with Cassette in my opinion, I went to the inital meetings to get the inital sketches of everyones own drawings I was researching alot about pixel art and what I'd be looking at. I created another 'concept' presentation to showcase what I'd be doing and what projection wnated. 

(This is the link to the concept presentation for Cassette I did. A presentation I hadn't fully invested in.);

https://www.canva.com/design/DAGuBIfOAYY/ayACp0nj9OlInLWQLE4-Pw/view?utm_content=DAGuBIfOAYY&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=uniquelinks&utlId=h15407be1c3

Looking back, I realised I had initially agreed to work on Cassette more to fill out my time for DISC380 rather than from genuine interest. While contributing pixel art to a credits sequence sounded fun, it didn’t fully engage me in the way I had hoped. My motivation was affected by life and personal challenges, and I also felt that my role, being limited to just a small part of the credits, didn’t have as much impact on the final product as my work on MOTG. This experience taught me the importance of being mindful of where I invest my energy and choosing projects that align with my interests and strengths.

3D Modelling 

The timeline of this project: 

The 3D modelling project started with a lot of promise. I was genuinely motivated to create my own creatures and build on my previous sculpting work from last semester, where I created a creature called the Fumen. Initially, I collaborated with Dev, and we brainstormed a range of creature types to explore. Early on, we scoped the project down to just two creatures from the list, which made the workload more manageable and allowed me to focus on quality over quantity. We ultimately decided to focus on a bird and an apex predator, as these would allow us to explore very different anatomies, behaviours, and roles within the ecosystem of Prometheus.

I began by creating detailed 2D designs for both creatures, exploring their anatomy, unique features, and how they would fit into the world. The bird design allowed me to investigate feathers, wing structure, and flight mechanics, while also considering how its smaller size and agility would affect rigging and eventual animation. These were the initial concept of the bird creatures; 

I developed the bird design further, moving away from purely avian features and incorporating more dragon-like elements, which was something I was very satisfied with. This evolution allowed the design to feel more unique and dynamic, and it eventually led to the final version I produced.

In these designs, I also focused on the practical aspects of creating the creature. For example, I removed the front wings from the bird to make future modelling more manageable.

The apex predator, on the other hand, combined muscular structure with the potential for dynamic movement, which posed a more complex challenge in terms of balance, posture, and textures. Considering how these creatures would interact in the same ecosystem helped me refine their designs and think about their functional roles. You can see the initial and final designs of this creature below. 

I created a full turnaround for the apex predator, even though this was originally intended for Dev to model. During the process of finalising both creatures, Dev and I had a team discussion about DISC380 as a whole. Dev decided to step away from the project to focus on other commitments, which I completely understood. With our busy schedules, it was natural that the project would face hiccups.

This decision meant that the apex predator design would be put on hold for the time being. While I considered taking it on myself, I ultimately wanted to focus on the bird creature I had originally set out to complete. In hindsight, this may have been a turning point for the project for me personally. Around this time, I began to lose motivation for the 3D modelling project. Nothing felt satisfying, except for my work on Melodies of the Grove. I found myself in a creative rut, but I was still determined to at least make progress on the small bird creature.

I started blocking out the body of the bird creature in 3D to get a sense of its form and make the later modelling stages easier. Once the body was blocked, I moved on to the wings — the most challenging part of the process. Despite looking at tutorials and observing how other 3D sculptors approached wings, I struggled to understand the process and became frustrated. At one point, I admitted to myself that I couldn’t continue and gave up on the wings. This was a turning point where I considered shifting focus from the bird to the apex predator. I had pushed myself into an uncomfortable corner, and I realised that continuing as I was was not productive.

Initially, I attempted other aspects of the bird, but the wings were so integral to the design that I couldn’t leave them unfinished. Ultimately, I decided to split the creature in two and mirror it in Blender. This approach allowed me to continue making progress without being entirely stalled by the wings, even if it wasn’t the solution I had originally envisioned.

Despite me recognising that I was stuck in an unproductive approach and could have changed my workflow, I didn’t. Instead, I kept pushing forward with the same method, which ultimately held me back and contributed to my frustration.

Despite this strong start, I realised that I couldn’t fully commit to the project alongside my other responsibilities. Even with the reduced scope of just the bird and apex predator, the time and effort required to fully develop, sculpt, rig, and texture them was beyond what I could sustain that semester. After careful consideration, I made the difficult decision to step away from the project.

Reflecting on this experience, I’ve realised that the creative process is not just about producing a final product, but also about understanding my own limits and working methods. Even though the apex predator was put on hold and the bird creature presented unexpected challenges, both designs taught me the importance of planning ahead while remaining adaptable. I learned that persistence is valuable, but so is recognising when a strategy isn’t working and having the confidence to change course.

More broadly, this project highlighted the balance between ambition and manageability. Trying to do everything perfectly or pushing forward despite obstacles can sometimes hinder progress, while scaling back and focusing on achievable goals allows for more meaningful learning. Even incomplete projects hold insight; from technical skills like blocking, mirroring, and thinking about anatomy, to personal growth in resilience, problem-solving, and reflection. Ultimately, this experience has strengthened my understanding of how to approach complex creative projects in the future and reminded me that every step, even the challenging or unfinished ones, contributes to growth as an artist.